Plea to help save lives P3 Leap of faith by nana P14 North Shore Times Thursday, May 5, 2016 YOUR PLACE, YOUR PAPER What’s selling $525,000 170GQueen St,Northcote Point Solid 1970s construction with two bedrooms, one bathroom. Lock up garage plus dedicated off street park. Close to motorway and ferry terminal. Sold byBayleysMairangiBay Training at the Devonport Naval Base gym, Josephine Barrett will be competing at the Invictus Games this May in swimming, archery and indoor rowing. PHOTO: TOM DILLANE/FAIRFAX NZ Implant removes pain TOMDILLANE Josephine Barrett’s strength of mind over matter in the sporting arena is a little different than most athletes. She has a bionic implant in her spinal cord that blocks pain receptors constantly triggered by a crippling back injury sustained 13 years ago. By intercepting nerves in her spine via an electric current, Barrett can walk and move normally, but there has been essentially no physical alteration to her crushed vertebrae. The implant simply removes the pain. What’s additionally remarkable about this biotechnology is that it’s enabling Barrett to compete in the Invictus Games this month, an international sporting event for ill and injured service personnel. ‘‘Before I got the implant I was on a walking stick and on so much medication, at one stage 38 pills a day, and now I don’t take any regular medication for my back,’’ Barrett says. ‘‘It took me a while to learn how to manage myself because you’ve got to accept you can’t do what you could before.’’ Barrett served in the New Zea- land Army for 28 years before retiring in February. She will be competing in swim- ming, archery and indoor rowing for the New Zealand Defence Force Invictus Games team. ‘‘I swam competitively when I was a teenager and I think what I find frustrating is my head wants me to be training harder but in reality problems with my back and chest have made it difficult,’’ she says. ‘‘I don’t know whether it’s a competitive thing I’ve had since prior to joining the army or something about being in the services that gives you almost a mongrel approach to sport, you’ve got to have it.’’ In a terrible string of misfor- tune Barrett was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. Receiving a double mastec- tomy and reconstructive surgery, Barrett is in remission now. Hopefully in the clear health wise, Barrett anticipates her upcoming participation in the Invictus Games in Orlando in the United States will be her first and only performance. ‘‘For me personally the games are about backing myself that I still have that fighting spirit, that I had it and I still have it.’’ $1,770,000 24 Amante Cres, Mairangi Bay Five bedrooms, three bathrooms, three living rooms and an office. Close to Mairangi BayVillage. Double garage and workshop. Sold byBayleysMairangiBay See Real Estate Outlook inside. $1,650,000 10 Emily Lane, Greenhithe Large family home on a 2698 square metre site, four bedrooms, three car garaging, off-street parking and an inground pool. Sold byBayleysAlbany Pre-university Experience Open Day Saturday 7 May 10.30am – 2.30pm acgedu.com/seniorcollege | 09 307 4477 sold!